Settling estate - what to do with photos?

[Braxton36]

I wasn't sure whether to post this under WWII or here but I suppose it doesn't make much difference. I have an odd situation and thought I'd ask here what some of you think I should do.

In settling the estate of one of our clients I am unfortunately disposing of a huge number of photographs and miscellaneous memorabilia as there is no family member to take these things. I hate it when this happens.

Our client was an elderly lady who had been thrice widowed. While going through the massive amount of papers and memorabilia, I came across a small silk envelope/portfolio with several photographs tucked inside. From the notations on the back, I have surmised that our client was engaged during WWII to a young man who was killed in a plane crash two days before D-Day. There are several photographs of him and a few with her in them - one of them with the notation "Just got my ring" - and they are obviously staring at her hand.

Another photograph shows 6 men in front of an airplane. All the names are on the bottom, one of which is the name of the man in question. On the back are these notes: "335th Bomb Group RTU School Oct. 18, '43 just before going overseas" and this one: "Plane shot up over Normandy 2 days before D. Day - made it back to England & crashed"

I hate to destroy these photographs. They have no material value so I can dispose of them any other way I see fit. On a whim I googled the man in question and the town where he lived. Sure enough, there was his name on several lists of war memorials in the county where he lived. I have surmised that he was a "Jr." as there are several older references to another man with the same name who seems to have been a county judge.

Googling a bit more (I guess that's now a verb) I have found the obituary of a man I believe to be a brother of the WWII casualty. His fairly recent obituary listed three sons. I have found an address for one of them - he would be a nephew of the man who was killed if you're following along.

I have been toying with the idea of writing this man to see if he is indeed the nephew and if he'd be interested in having these photographs. What do some of you think? Would that be too creepy to get a letter like that? Over 60 years later getting the photographs of a dead uncle kept by his fiance'?

It sounds like an episode of PBS's "History Detectives." I await your advice!

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I think you should definitely write to the family of the man killed. It's certainly much better than tossing the photos out! Another option might be to donate them to a war memorabilia museum. At the very least if you can't find any takers you could scan the photos and share them with us.

 

[JerseyJones]

Do not dispose of these photos !


There is a great deal of historical value in them as vintage ephemera and as a record of the era of the photos.

Write the letter to the nephews to see if they want them and if not the museum route seems great.

If nothing else, keep them in your personal collection of vintage memorabilia and know that if you have them, that someone cared enough to preserve someone's personal history.

Be well

Ken

 

[Pilgrim]

Don't destroy them!

Chances are that a large public library in your area, a historical society or a nearby university library will be interested in adding them to their archives.

When my dad passed away, he had a five-drawer filing cabinet full of engineering reference and product files dating back to the 50's. My university library was delight edt to accept them as archive additions.

Make some phone calls - there must be a nearby library, historical society or other interest group that will accept, index and preserve them.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I don't think that contacting the nephew about his long lost uncle would be creepy at all! If anything, I think it would be a genuine act of kindness. I have a very small family, and I would love to find anything from the list of family members lost during WWII.
I have a similar story. When my grandmother was a child, she and her mother (my great grandmother) had to go into hiding in Austria. A friend of theirs was given a visa to go to America, and my great-grandmother gave her four diamond brooches, in the hopes that if she made it to the states, she would meet up with this woman, and get them back. My family did make it to the states a few years later, but never found the woman who had the brooches. In 1999, right before my older sister got married, my mother got a phone call from a woman in New York. She said she was the granddaughter of a woman who had some jewelery of her family's. She told the story of how she had been searching for some member of our family for over 20 years, and that thanks to the internet she was able to find my mom. She still had the brooches, they had been in a safe deposit box since her grandmother had arrived in the states. She and my mom met, and shared lots of stories about their parents and the war. The woman (I can't remember her name, but I know my mom and her are still in contact) had the brooches, and passed them on to my mom. My sister, my mom and I all wore one of them for my sisters wedding. We had gotten back a piece of our family that had long been gone, since both my great-grandmother and grandmother died young.
My point, it doesn't matter what the item is, diamond brooches or old pictures, they are memories of family lost long ago. This man will probably hold your gesture of contacting him close to his heart, and be happy to get a piece of his family history. I think you are doing a great thing, most people in your position would just toss them aside, and not want to put any work into trying to save them. I think it's a very kind act, very sweet of you.

 

[fortworthgal]

Please don't throw the photos away.

I would first try contacting the nephew. If you get no response, or he is not interested in them, then I would donate them to a WWII museum. There are literally hundreds of them all over the country and I am certain you could find one that would welcome the donation of the photos. I am a member of such a museum, and I've done a good bit of WWII research on casualties overseas, as my grandfather was one. It sounds like the guy was probably AAF so believe me, there are several museums that would be interested in the stuff if the nephew is not.

I am going to PM you about this.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

See above

Need I say more?
I think anyone would be thrilled to get a bit of family history like that.

 

[FedoraGent]

Soo...

So what did you do after all of that. I was completely captivated reading that and then nothing else. Did you write the letter?

FG.

 

[mikepara]

yeah what happened..

.. either way did you scan them? I'm sure the whole lounge would love to see them..I certainly would.

 

[Braxton36]

Follow-ip

I've written the nephew. Thanks for everyone's input. I'll keep you posted once I hear from him. I'll scan photos, too, before I turn them loose. Appreciate all the advice.